明 佚名 貍奴芭蕉圖 冊頁|Frolicking Kittens under a Banana Tree
15th century
Medium
Album leaf; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
Image: 9 1/2 x 9 5/8 in. (24.1 x 24.4 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Elliott Family Collection, Purchase, The Dillon Fund Gift, 1982
Accession Number
1982.1.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delightful album leaf, titled *Frolicking Kittens under a Banana Tree*, captures a whimsical moment from 15th-century Ming dynasty China (1368–1644). Created by an unidentified artist, it exemplifies the period's fondness for intimate, nature-inspired scenes in the bird-and-flower genre, staple of Chinese painting. Rendered in ink and color on silk—a luxurious medium prized for its subtle sheen and absorbency—the 9½ x 9⅝-inch image was designed for private contemplation, likely folded into an album for scholars and collectors to savor over tea. The composition centers on playful kittens ...